Community Relations: Tips & Tactics

How are your community relations?

Community relations is back in style, helping organizations grow meaningful roots deep into their local communities.

Whether you call it community investment, public participation or community relations, we’ve put together a bunch of tips and resources to inspire you and help you get even better results from your community engagement strategies and programs. C’mon in. This community center is open!

Other PR resources include Public Consultation and Do-It-Yourself PR. And, if you have other resources to share, just send us an email. Sites with a W are PR Coach “winners.” Note some links are PDF documents, so opening time may require patience.

Befriend Your Community
A little community involvement helps promote your business while doing good. The payback? Eight out of ten people say they purchase from a business because they approve of its involvement with the community.

Civic Strategies
Interesting resources and site for civic leaders and those who aspire to lead. Useful for community relations strategists, particularly for the challenge of changing communities.

Communicator’s Guide
Federal Communicators Network guide is a useful primer for any communicator. Rich resources include sources and information to help communicators refine and sharpen their skills. W

Community Engagement Tools
The Oregon School Board provides a great collection community relations resources that can be applied to many organizations.

Community Relations Resource Kit
This 71 page resource kit provides a guide for individuals, community groups and organizations interested in developing positive community relations strategies. Highlights include a section on planning, best practice case studies and a glossary. W

Consultation Guidelines
Our Scottish Borders produced this valuable set of guidelines on public consultation. Excellent view of consultation methods, tools and a useful monitoring checklist. W

Conventional Cause Marketing Evolves Via Social Media
78% of consumers believe brands should support causes while 60% say they did not buy a brand from one they consider bad corporate citizens. Six of ten of the highest traffic websites were community-based. Nuff said.

Selling a Leaky Landfill as the World’s Best Practice
In absence of true public participation, PR around Homebush Bay site has focused on vacuous media stunts and photo opportunities. Brochure by Olympic Coordination Authority falsely describes remediation of site as “world’s best practice.”

Sponsorship and PR
A well planned sponsorship program can be invaluable. Here’s 15 things to do and five not to do for best results.